Owen Sound Transportation Company says they’re marking the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation this weekend.
President & CEO Carl Kuhnke also says that all of their staff who aren’t required to wear safety vests will be wearing their orange Every Child Matters shirts, as well as flying the Every Child Matters flag both on their ships and at their offices.
Kuhnke says that’s not the only thing the organization will be doing — for the weekend of September 30th and October 1st, they’re offering free passage to First Nations travellers, and that it’s hopefully going to expand next season.
“We’re hoping that next year, we’ll be able to announce that First Nations individuals from anywhere in Canada will be able to travel on all of Owen Sound Transportation’s vessels for all of eternity.”
He says “I don’t want to say that it’s the least we could do because that almost sounds like a cliche, but we are travelling — this organization — travels on traditional First Nations water, and lands on traditional First Nations land every trip we take.”
In their operations, Owen Sound Transportation journeys across the lands of the Saugeen First Nation, the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation, and the Wiikwemkoong First Nation.
For their operations to the south with Pelee Island Transportation, they travel through the traditional waters and lands of the Caldwell First Nation.
